Beverage dispensing system

ABSTRACT

A beverage dispensing system comprising a dispensing port for dispensing a beverage, a drip tray located below the dispensing port for collecting the beverage dispensed and an antenna located between the dispensing port and the drip tray is provided. The beverage dispensing system is RFID-enabled by configuring the antenna to receive signals from radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/922,470, filed Aug. 20, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,617,850 andU.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/971,486, filed Oct. 22, 2004 nowabandoned, which is based on and claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/513,662, filed Oct. 23, 2003 and U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/518,904, filed Nov. 10, 2003. Eachof the foregoing applications is hereby expressly incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a beverage dispensing system in accordance with afirst embodiment.

FIG. 2 a illustrates a walkie-talkie antenna.

FIG. 2 b illustrates a top perspective view of a circularly polarizedantenna.

FIG. 2 c illustrates a top view of a loop antenna.

FIG. 2 d illustrates a bottom view of a loop antenna.

FIG. 2 e illustrates a top perspective view of a patch antenna.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the grate assembly in accordance with afirst embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the lower half of the grate assembly inaccordance with a first embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a beverage dispensing system in accordance with asecond embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a beverage dispensing system in accordance with athird embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates antenna housing in accordance with a thirdembodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the circuitry employed in the beveragedispensing system.

FIG. 9 illustrates a connection layout of the CPU with a display screenand an I/O control interface.

FIG. 10 illustrates a back plane circuitry employed in the beveragedispensing system.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart representing container-handling logic.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a beverage dispensing system 2 in accordance with afirst embodiment is illustrated. The beverage dispensing system 2includes a dispenser housing 5 having a top surface 6, side panels 7 and8, front face 9 and a back surface (not shown). A dispensing head 16 hasa dispensing port 18 and a user operated dispensing switch 22. A grateassembly 14 is placed onto a drip tray 12 of the beverage dispensingsystem 2. The drip tray 12 is used to collect the beverage dispensedthrough the dispensing port 18. The beverage and ice stored in thebeverage dispensing system 2 is dispensed into a container 26 throughthe dispensing port 18, when a dispensing valve (not shown) associatedwith the corresponding dispensing head 16 is activated. As seen, abeverage dispensing system 2 has a plurality of such dispensing heads16, each dispensing a same or a different beverage and one dispensingice. The dispensing head 16, for dispensing the ice, may be located atthe center, with the multiple dispensing heads 16, for the beverages,located on its either side. The shape of the central ice dispensing head16 may be different than that of the beverage dispensing heads 16,located on its either side, as seen in FIG. 1. A display screen 20 isprovided within the front face 9 of the dispenser housing 5 to displaydifferent messages, advertisements, instructions, tutorials, videos etc.for the user of the beverage dispensing system 2. The display screen 20may be a LCD touch sensor screen. The display screen 20 may include atouch screen sensor keyboard through which a customer may inputinformation. The beverage dispensing system 2 may be a fountaindispensing machine or any other similar dispensing machine.

It should be understood that the basic components of the beveragedispensing system 2 are not limited by this description. For example,the display screen 20 may be positioned above the housing 5 rather thanwithin the front face 9 of the housing 5. The beverage dispensing system2 may or may not employ a graphical user interface (GUI.) In effect, thebeverage dispensing system 2 may or may not have a display screen 20.The dispensing switch 22 may be a lever, a push button or any othersimilar type of switch known in the art. The beverage dispensing system2 may be a fountain dispenser for any type of beverages, hot or cold. Assuch, the beverage dispensing system 2 may dispense a variety ofcarbonated and non-carbonated beverages such as soda, iced tea, juices,performance drinks, and the like. Further, the shape and size of thedispenser housing 5 may vary according to the needs of the establishmentwhere the beverage dispensing system 2 is to be installed and operated.

The beverage dispensing system 2 is equipped with a RFID hardware, whichincludes a RFID tag 28, a RFID reader 53 (illustrated in FIG. 8) and anantenna 35. Different types of antenna, which allow transfer ofinformation between the RFID tag 28 and the RFID reader 53, areillustrated in FIG. 2 a-2 e. FIG. 2 a illustrates a walkie-talkieantenna. The walkie-talkie antenna may be approximately 2″-3″ long,though it may have different length. FIG. 2 b illustrates a topperspective view of a circularly polarized antenna. The antenna 35,which is a circularly polarized antenna, may have varying dimensions.FIG. 2 c is a top view of a loop antenna. FIG. 2 d illustrates a bottomview of the loop antenna 35 having a gamma match 36 and adapted forattachment to a coaxial Subminiature Version ‘A’ (SMA) cable, via a SMAconnector 38, although connectors like TNC (Threaded Neill-Concelman),BNC (Bayonet Neill-Concelman) or any other similar connectors known inthe art may be used. The gamma match 36 is used to tune the frequency ofthe antenna 35. Antenna 35 used may have different gamma matches inorder to allow attachment of the SMA Cable in various orientations. Theloop antenna 35 is a 1.55″ OD loop and has a metal ring that defines acapacitive gap 39 formed at a location opposite to the attachment pointof the SMA Cable 37. FIG. 2 e illustrates a top perspective view of apatch antenna. The length of the patch antenna used is dependent on thewave length with varying degrees of height. Hence, patch antenna ofvarying dimensions may be used. The antenna 35 may be a high frequency(HF) antenna or an ultra high frequency (UHF) antenna having a verticalread field and operating in a magnetic field with a maximum near-h-fieldperformance. The loop antenna 35 may be a segmented loop antenna. Thetype and dimension of the antenna 35 may be varied depending on therequirement and design of beverage dispensing system 2.

The beverage dispensing system 2 is adapted to communicate with the RFIDtag 28. The programmable RFID tag 28 may be a read only tag, a WORM(write once, read many) tag or a read/write tag. As is known in the art,read only RFID tags contain unique information that cannot be changed,WORM tags may be written to once and then locked in to a read statewhereas read/write tags allow for unlimited reading/writing and transferof information to the tag. The RFID tag may also be electronic articlesurveillance (EAS) tag. The RFID tag may be a high frequency (HF) tag,an ultra high frequency (UHF) tag, an active tag or a passive tag. Anysuitable RFID tag 28, which has near-field properties, reads wellthrough fingers and hands, has minimal sensitivity to liquids and doesnot have any preferred orientation with respect to the antenna 35, maybe used. For example, the SIT tag, the Short Dipole Tag and the AD805near field tag, the Button and Paperclip tag, commercially availablefrom Alien, Avery Dennison and Impinj, respectively, may be used. RFIDtag 28 includes a chip set and an antenna. The chip-set of the RFID tag28 has a memory for storing data and a processor for performingfunctions on the stored data. The chip-set of the RFID tag 28 isdesigned around a 96-bit architecture, although it may be varied to suitthe available software packages and the source code.

The RFID tag 28 is adapted to store information relating to at least oneof the purchase date and the time, the size (ounce capacity) of the cup,the type of the cup, the company name and location, the amount ofbeverage being purchased, the promotional code that states unlimitedrefills, the syrup ratio, the number of days and the number of refillsor the number of pours per day (such as 5 days or 1 hour). The RFID tag28 may also store information which includes name, point of initial orlast sale, initial or last location field, etc. Each RFID tag 28 andhence the corresponding container 26 has a unique identification number.RFID tag 28 used, may also be manufactured with a pre-set unique tag ID.

The container 26 may be a cup, a can, a bottle, a bowl, a bucket or anyother similar vessel, which can be used to hold the dispensed beverage.The container 26 may be of any material, such as glass, plastic, paper,cardboard and the like. The container 26 may be refillable ordisposable, and adapted to hold hot and/or cold beverages. The RFID tag28 may take the form of a thin flexible label, ticket, chip or card thatmay be affixed to an object, such as the container 26. The container 26may have a generally cylindrical configuration with an inner and anouter wall defining an intermediate air space there between. The RFIDtag 28 may be embedded between the inner and the outer walls of thecontainer 26. The RFID tag 28 may also be attached to the inner or outersurface of the container 26 by an adhesive, fastener or inlay moldedinto the plastic when the container 26 is manufactured. The RFID tag 28may also be directly molded into the container 26. The RFID tag 28 maybe attached to the lip or lid of the container 26. The RFID tag 28 maybe positioned anywhere in the container 26; at the bottom, in the sidewalls, at the top, etc. Those skilled in the art recognize that thereare various techniques for coupling the RFID tag 28 to the container 26and that the tag may be positioned anywhere in the container 26, as perthe design and configuration of the beverage dispensing system 2.Optionally, the RFID tag 28 may be provided in an access card, a key tagor a separate device which the customer may swipe before the beverage isdispensed into a non-tagged container.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the grate assembly 14 of thebeverage dispensing system 2. The grate assembly 14 comprises an upperhalf portion 14 (a) and a lower half portion 14 (b), which are attachedtogether by screws, rivets, adhesives or any other similar techniquesknown in the art. The interface between the upper half portion 14 (a)and the lower half portion 14 (b) is sealed with a gasket 40, whichprevents liquids from infiltrating the area of the antenna 35. Oneantenna 35 is provided for each dispensing head 16. The beveragedispensing system 2 may have any number of dispensing heads 16, as perthe configuration of the beverage dispensing system 2. As seen in FIG.3, each of the antennas 35 is integrated within a circular compartment42 between the upper half portion 14 (a) and the lower half portion 14(b) of the grate assembly 14. At each circular compartment 42 an antenna35 is located, which is associated with the corresponding dispensinghead 16. The antenna 35 may be integrated within any other suitablecompartment.

As illustrated in the top view of the lower half portion 14 (b) of thegrate assembly 14, in FIG. 4, is a beverage dispensing system 2 havingeleven dispensing heads. Eleven antennas 35 are embedded in serieswithin the eleven circular compartments 42 of the grate assembly 14. Oneantenna corresponds to each of the beverage dispensing head 16 and oneantenna corresponds to the ice dispensing head 16. As such, a series ofeleven antennas 35 are integrated within the grate assembly 14. The tendispensing heads may be used to dispense different or same beverages andone dispensing head is used to dispense the ice. Any number of antennas35 may be integrated within the grate assembly 14 depending on theactive number of dispensing heads 16, which are present on the beveragedispensing system 2. An air space of approximately 0.0625 inches existsbetween the metal ring of the antenna 35 and the drip tray 12, in orderto minimize the detuning effects in the environment. Placing of theantenna 35 within the grate assembly 14 eliminates contact of antenna 35with the beverage or ice being dispensed. The SMA Cable 37 is attachedto each of the antenna 35, and the free end of each such cable exits thegrate assembly 14 for further connections. The grate assembly 14 mayhave grooves to help remove the accumulation of liquid.

In accordance with a second embodiment, the dispensing switch 22 of theabove embodiment is replaced by a lever 24 and the antenna 35 isintegrated onto the lever 24, as illustrated in FIG. 5. A lever 24 isprovided for each of the dispensing heads 16 of the beverage dispensingsystem 2. An antenna 35 is mounted on each of the lever 24. As seen,eleven antennas are integrated onto the eleven levers of the beveragedispensing system 2; ten antennas corresponding to the ten dispensingheads, which may dispense different beverages and one central antennacorresponding to the dispensing head, which dispenses ice. When theantenna 35 is placed on the lever 24, the antenna 35 is within the fieldof the RFID tag 28, even if the user holds the container 26 rather thanplacing the container 26 on the grate assembly 14. Thus, placing of theantenna 35 on the lever 24 allows users to fill their drink whileholding the container 26. The grate assembly 14 of the above embodimentmay or may not be used. In an alternate embodiment, along with the lever24, the dispensing switch 22 of the dispensing head 16 may also bepresent.

In accordance with a third embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 6, theantenna 35 is integrated inside the drip tray 12 of beverage dispensingsystem 2. The antenna 35 is placed inside a channel defining the driptray 12. As such, the antenna 35 is spaced from the bottom surface ofthe drip tray 12. As illustrated in FIG. 7, an antenna housing 60 isprovided for each of the antenna 35, within the drip tray 12. Antennahousing 60 for each of the antenna 35 extends upwards from the bottomsurface of the drip tray 12. The antenna housing 16 is a cylindricallyraised area with a rounded top such that the beverage striking the outerupper surface of the antenna housing 60 flows off the surface viagravity, thus, preventing the contact of the antenna 35 with thebeverage. The antenna housing 60 may be made of plastic or any othersuitable material. Nine antennas are integrated within the drip tray 12;eight for the beverage dispensing heads and one for the ice dispensinghead. As the antenna 35 is placed inside the antenna housing 60 in thedrip tray 12, the antenna 35 does not come in any direct contact withthe container 26. The grate assembly 14, made of a non-ferrous material,is located between the antenna housing 60 and the dispensing port 18.The antenna 35 may also be housed within an antenna housing 60 that islocated on top of the drip tray 12. Optionally, the grate assembly 14may not be used. Also, the antenna housing 60 may include an indicatorlight which is green when an RFID tag 28 is in communication with theantenna 35 and red when no RFID tag is detected within the reading fieldof the antenna 35.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the circuitry employed in the beveragedispensing system 2. As shown, the circuitry includes an I/O controlinterface 44, a processing system 50, a hood assembly 62 and an On/Offby pass switch 66. The processing system 50 may be housed within ahousing (not shown) mounted on the side panels 7 and 8, the top surface6, or the back surface of the beverage dispensing system 2. It may alsobe mounted in any other convenient position on the dispenser housing 5.The processing system 50 includes a CPU 52, a RFID reader 53, amultiplexer 54, a power supply 55 for the CPU 52 and a power supply 56for the RFID reader 53. The processing system 50 is designed such thatit may be retrofit into different brands of existing and future fountaindispensing machines to make them RFID enabled. The hood assembly 62includes the display screen 20 and speakers 64. The hood assembly 62encloses the I/O control interface 44 on the back surface of thebeverage dispensing machine 2. The hood assembly 62 may be made ofplastic. The hood assembly 62 may be a retrofit for modifying anexisting manufacturer's hood hoods as to include, a touch screen monitorwith power supply, speaker and cables. The hood assembly 62 may also bemade from mild steel, polymer sheet, fiber glass or other suitablematerial.

Power is provided to the processing system 50 via a 110/220 volt AC-inline. An indicator light may be associated with the processing system 50to indicate that the system is connected to 110/220 volt AC power. AnOn-Off key 65 may be provided to switch off the incoming AC power. The110/220 volt-AC in-line is fed to the power supply 55 and the powersupply 56. The power supply 55 converts the 110/220 volt AC to 12 voltsto supply power required for the CPU 52 of the processing system 50.This 12 volt supply may then be connected to another voltagetransforming device like a power supply on the CPU 52, which provides avariety of voltages for various uses. The power supply 56 provides powerrequired for operating the RFID reader 53. A single power supply mayalso be used to power both the CPU 52 and the RFID reader 53.

The CPU 52 is a mini motherboard having an on-board processor, volatileRAM memory, as well as on-board video and sound processing components.The CPU 52 is connected by a LAN (local area network) cable to the RFIDreader 53 to allow remote access, although other structure forconnecting these components known in the art may be used. Long termmemory may be provided via a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, a SDcard or other devices. At least 10 Gigabytes of memory may be providedby the storage device. The CPU 52 may run Windows XP, POS Ready, Linux,Mac or other operating systems. Software for the graphical userinterface (GUI) that allows videos to be programmed for the displayscreen 20 and log data from the beverage dispensing system 2 may residein the hard disk memory of the CPU 52.

RFID reader 53 is the hardware that determines what information is beingsent/received between the CPU 52 and the RFID tag 28. The antenna 35emits a signal for activating the RFID tag 28 of the container 26 forreading and writing the data. The transmission of the radio frequencysignals between the antenna 35, the RFID reader 53 and the RFID tag 28take place in a magnetic field. RFID reader 53 decodes the data encodedin the RFID tag 28. The RFID reader 53 has its own firmware whichperforms the function of reading from and writing to the RFID tag 28.The data is then passed onto the CPU 52; the CPU 52 processes thereceived data and sends signals to the I/O control interface 44,accordingly. The RFID reader 53 and the antenna 35 are operativelycoupled with the RFID tag 26 and the CPU 52 for communication.

The RFID reader 53 employs masking and RSSI (Received Signal StrengthIndication) to ensure accuracy in the reading and writing of the RFIDtag 28. In masking, the RFID reader 53 directs the RFID tag 28 toread/write its data only if it has a matching tag ID number, otherwiseit disregards the command. This ensures that the right tag is writtento, if more than one tag is present in the field. In RSSI, the RFIDreader 53 compares the different signal strengths received. Thestrongest signal strength corresponds to the RFID tag 28 closet to theantenna 35. Accordingly, the RFID reader 53 communicates with thecorrect RFID tag 28 instead of the other tags in the field. Thisprevents writing to the wrong tag, when multiple tags are detected inthe field.

When a plurality of antennas 35 are present, the multiplexer 54 controlswhich antenna 35 the RF signals are being sent to and received from. Themultiplexer 54 is connected to the input-output port of the RFID reader53 by a PS2 cable or DB9 cable and to the antenna port by a coaxial SMACable 37, although other structure for connecting these components knownin the art may be used. SMA Cable 37 of the antenna 35, which isconnected to the multiplexer 54 of the processing system 50, is used tocontrol the antenna 35. The multiplexer 54 switches between antennasupon commands received from the RFID reader 53. When the antenna 35 isplaced inside the drip tray 12 (as described in the third embodiment),the multiplexer 54 may as well be located in the drip tray 12, whichavoids the need of long SMA cables 37; thus eliminating any possibleimpact such length has on the reading of the RFID tag 28. Thus, themultiplexer 54 may be located inside a separate housing (not shown), inthe drip tray 12, or in any other suitable location. A splitter or anyother similar device may also be used in place of the multiplexer 54.For a RFID reader, which has the number of antenna ports equal to orless than the total number of dispensing heads on the beveragedispensing system 2, each of the antennas may be directly connected tothe RFID reader, without the need of the multiplexer 54. Thus, in analternate embodiment, the multiplexer 54 may be eliminated.

FIG. 9 illustrates the connection layout of the CPU 52 with the displayscreen 20 and the I/O control interface 44. The display screen 20 isconnected to the CPU 52 of the processing system 50 by a VGA cable. Thespeakers 64 are connected to the CPU 52 and the I/O control interface 44by a sound cable or a serial cable, although other structure known inthe art may also be used. The I/O control interface 44 is provided withtwo RS 232 serial ports. One of the ports is used to connect the I/Ocontrol interface 44 to the CPU 52 of the processing system 50. In analternate embodiment, where the beverage dispensing system 2 may not rungraphics, one of the RS 232 port is connected to the RFID reader 53.

FIG. 10 illustrates the back plane circuitry mounted on the back surfaceof the beverage dispensing system 2. The back plane circuitry includesthe I/O control interface 44, the On-Off by-pass switch 66, a DC powersupply 68, an AC transformer 70, an AC power distribution board 72, astarter capacitor and a bridge rectifier (not shown), an ice agitateboard 74, an agitation motor 76, an ice gate 78 and an ice vend switch80. The user selectable On-Off by pass switch 66 allows the entireprocessing system 50 to be turned on and off. When the On-Off by passswitch 66 is turned on, the processing system 50 is included with thecircuit and the beverage dispensing system 2 is RFID-enabled. When noRFID container 26 is available and the beverage dispensing system 2needs to be operated like a standard dispensing machine (non-RFID), theOn-Off by pass switch 66 is turned off. Moving the switch to the bypassmode sends an input to the I/O control interface 44 that directs the I/Ocontrol interface 44 to bypass the processing system 50. This disablesthe RFID feature of the beverage dispensing system 2 and the beveragedispensing system 2 operates in a standard non-RFID mode.

The AC power distribution board 72 distributes the incoming 110/220 voltAC power to the DC power supply 68, the AC transformer 70, the displayscreen 20 of the hood assembly 62 and the On-Off by pass switch 66. Fromthe incoming 110/220 volt AC power provided by the AC power distributionboard 72, the DC power supply 68 provides a 12 volt DC power required torun the I/O control interface 44. The AC transformer 70 is a 24 volt ACtransformer and provides a 24 volt AC power to each of the dispensinghead 16 to operate the corresponding dispensing valve of the dispensingport 18. The ice in the beverage dispensing system 2 should beperiodically agitated to keep it from freezing into a block. The iceagitate board 74 includes a relay, which periodically triggers theagitation motor 76 in order to agitate the ice. When the beveragedispensing system 2 is not in use, the ice agitate board 74 is permittedto agitate the ice on its own cycle. When the beverage dispensing system2 is in use, the ice agitation operation is suspended by the I/O controlinterface 44 so that the agitation motor 76 and the ice vend switch 80can be used for dispensing the ice.

As mentioned above, I/O control interface 44 controls the signals thatopen and close each of the dispensing ports 18 for dispensing thebeverage and the ice. The I/O control interface 44 includes a processorwith preprogrammed firmware, which consists of instructions forprocessing the data received from the CPU 52 and the input received fromthe dispensing switch 22. The I/O control interface 44 is provided withover 3 KB of RAM memory that can be used to buffer commands between theI/O control interface 44 and the CPU 52 of the processing system 50.Optionally, this RAM memory may be used to store the data of the RFIDtag 28. The I/O control interface 44 is provided with up to 128 KB ofROM. The processor of the I/O control interface 44 may support theaddition of solid-state, non-volatile memory to store the RFID tag data.This may eliminate the need of the CPU 52 of the processing system 50.

When the dispensing switch 22 on the dispensing head 16 is activated bya user, the I/O control interface 44 signals to CPU 52, which dispensingswitch has been activated of the plurality of the dispensing switches22. The CPU 52 then directs the RFID reader 53 to activate the antenna35 corresponding to the selected dispensing head 16 and read the RFIDtag 28 of the container 26, which is placed under that selecteddispensing head 16. When the RFID tag 26 is detected by the antenna 35,the RFID reader 53 reads the data from the corresponding RFID tag 28;the RFID reader 53 reads the data from the RFID tag 28 only after thedispensing switch 22 has been activated, so that only the RFID tagcorresponding to the selected dispensing head will be read, instead ofany random tags that happen to be within the field of the RFID reader53. After receiving the tag data from the RFID reader 53, the CPU 52calculates the amount of time that the dispensing head 16 can beactivated in order to dispense the amount of beverage, which thecontainer 26 is authorized to receive. The CPU 52 then sends thiscalculated time to the I/O control interface 44 and the I/O controlinterface 44 activates (opens) the corresponding dispensing port 18 ofthe dispensing head 16 for the calculated amount of time. When thedispensing port 18 is released the corresponding beverage is dispensedinto the container 26 for the calculated amount of time. The dispensingport 18, which dispenses the ice, may also be set to open up for apredetermined amount of time. Upon a signal from the CPU 52 to the I/Ocontrol interface 44, the dispensing port 18 that dispenses the ice,opens up for a preset amount of time to dispense a specific amount ofice. If the user needs more ice than is dispensed during one timingcycle, the user may hit the corresponding dispensing switch 22 multipletimes depending upon the amount of ice he/she requires.

Each time flow out of the dispensing head 16 is stopped; the I/O controlinterface 44 relays back the information to the CPU 52. Thus, the totaltime and the amount of the beverage dispensed can be tracked. The CPU 52tracks the time between refills and keeps the serial number of thecontainer 26 in queue for a time set by the customer/user. During thattime, beverage can be dispensed into the container 26 without incurringa charge for the additional refill. After the time has expired and thecontainer serial number has been removed from the queue, a subsequentactivation of the dispensing head 16 will incur a charge for anotherrefill. The beverage dispensing system 2 may dispense multiple fillssimultaneously. Hence, multiple antennas 35 and their correspondingdispensing heads 16 may be activated at the same time. An opticalisolator may be used to convert the electrical signals into an isolatedlogic level signal for the processor of the I/O control interface 44, soas to process the signals going from the I/O control interface 44 to thedispensing head 16. These isolators prevent the electrical noise adspikes, electrical shocks to the user, and protect the I/O controlinterface 44 and the CPU 52 from static electricity and electricalsurges.

The software package of the beverage dispensing system 2, which may beused for various makes and models of the beverage dispensing systems,includes main system logic and a user interface system. The main systemlogic includes the RFID firmware, the firmware of the I/O controlinterface 44, container-handling logic and tag criteria logic. The mainsystem logic may utilize Windows XP embedded architecture or any othersimilar architecture. The RFID firmware controls the reading and writingof the RFID tag 28. The firmware of the I/O control interface 44controls the dispensing port 18 of the dispensing head 16 based on theinput event. The container-handling logic software controls the handingand interaction of the container 26, which includes what beverage todispense, how much amount to dispense, which parameters to record withrespect to the container 26, and how to record those parameters. Thecontainer-handling logic keeps a log of the inventory of all thecontainers 26 and their associated data. The tag criteria logic dividesthe RFID tag 28 into specific segments to collect data, interpret data,process data and write new data to the RFID tag 28. The user interfacesystem manages the interaction of the beverage dispensing system 2 withthe customers. It allows the beverage dispensing system 2 to be modifiedfor different drinks, videos, commercials, loyalty programs and specificprogram requirements. The container-handling logic, the tag criterialogic and the user interface software reside on the hard drive of theCPU 52 in the processing system 50. Additionally, software packages forweb interface for the customer, kiosk and point-of-sale (POS) may beincorporated.

A customer purchases a container 26, with a preprogrammed number offills and later on the refills (for a refillable container), as perhis/her requirement, from a cashier, a kiosk or the like. A point ofsale (POS) functionality may be provided by coupling a debit/credit cardreader to beverage dispensing system 2, to enable customers to purchasebeverages at the beverage dispensing system 2, by operating a userinterface. Any card having a magnetic strip containing information, likethe credit card, debit card, access card, key card or other similardevices may be used. Additionally, the customer may also be able toaccess the user interface via a hardwired network and an IP addressableaccess point to the internet. Network cables may be connected to thebeverage dispensing system 2 to allow remote access. Thus, the customermay be able to purchase refills by accessing the user interface via aweb. Once the container 26 integrated with the RFID tag 70 is purchased,the customer approaches the beverage dispensing system 2 to fill thecontainer 26 with the desired beverage. The system may be completelysoftware driven so that the promotions are endless. For example, toincrease more frequent visits at a store with a cup refill program, thecustomers may be awarded with points for using their containers at thestore chain. The more times customers pour at a certain store chain, themore reward points they receive. Another example is that a customer canbe given 5 free ups for every 10 purchased.

FIG. 11 shows a flow chart representing the container-handling logic. Asindicated in the initial step of block 85, when power is provided to thebeverage dispensing system 2, the beverage dispensing system 2 boots upand is initialized for receiving the input. Once initialized, thebeverage dispensing system 2 awaits for any input event; the input eventbeing pressing of any dispensing switch 22 by a customer.

When an event input is observed, such as when the dispensing switch 22is pressed by a customer, the corresponding antenna 35 is activated toread the associated RFID tag 28, as indicated in block 93. If no RFIDtag 28 is detected by the antenna 35, the beverage dispensing system 2waits for an input event for a preset time. The beverage dispensingsystem 2 may also prompt the customer to try again via a messagedisplayed on the display screen 20. If a RFID tag 28 is detected by theantenna 35, the information associated with the RFID tag 28 is read, asindicated in block 95. This information includes all the data associatedwith the RFID tag 28, including type, location, validity, etc. The CPU52 stores the data associated with the collection of containers 26,which are in the process of being filled. These are the containers, ineffect, RFID tags 28, which have not completed their fill and are stillwithin their allotted time frame, which is typically 70 seconds. It isthen determined, as indicated in block 97, whether the container 26 ispresent in the existing collection of the CPU 52 i.e., the RFID tag 28is in the process of being filled and still has available ounces todispense. If the container 26 is present in the existing collection ofthe CPU 52 but is out of refills, the beverage dispensing system 2 mayprompt the customer via a message on the display screen 20 to purchasemore refills.

If the container 26 is found to be present in the existing collection ofthe CPU 52 and is allowed to fills, the corresponding information isretrieved and the remaining on-time amount is calculated, as indicatedin block 99. The corresponding dispensing port 18 of the dispensing head16 is then turned on by the I/O control interface 44 for the calculatedon-time and the desired beverage is dispensed into the container 26. TheCPU 52 continues to count the ounces dispensed until the designatedmaximum capacity (beverage and ice) of the container 26 has been poured;therefore, a customer will have the ability to switch the type ofbeverage being dispensed before the maximum amount has been dispensed. Amessage may also be displayed on the display screen 20 letting thecustomer know how many refills remain on his/her containers 26. Thecustomer may also have the ice dispensed into the container 26, bypressing the dispensing switch 22 of the central dispensing head 16,which dispenses the ice. It is to be understood that the dispensing ofthe beverage and the ice can be done in any order. If the container 26is not present in the existing collection in the CPU 52, it is added tothe existing collection along with the associated data that is read fromthe RFID tag 28, as indicated in block 101. The RFID tag 28 is thenwritten to, and the allowed on-time is calculated by the CPU 52, asindicated in block 99. The dispensing port 18 of the dispensing head 16associated with the container 26 is then turned on by the I/O controlinterface 44 for the calculated on-time and the desired beverage isdispensed into the container 26.

When the user releases the dispensing switch 22, the CPU 52 obtainstime-on data from the I/O control interface 44. The CPU then calculatesthe remaining amount of beverage (syrup and ounces) for the container26, as indicated in block 89. As indicated in block 91, if no balanceamount is available for the container 26, the corresponding data islogged and the container 26 is removed from the stored collection in theCPU 52. However, if balance amount is available for the container 26,the counter of the I/O control interface 44 is set to the availablebalance amount and the corresponding data is logged into the CPU 52.

While specific embodiments have been described in detail in theforegoing detailed description and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, those with ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatvarious modifications and alternatives to those details could bedeveloped in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. It is tobe realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts ofthe invention to include variations in size, materials, shape, form,function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readilyapparent and obvious to one skilled in the art.

For example, the beverage dispensing system may have any number ofdispensing heads and each of the dispensing head may dispense anybeverage. The beverage dispensing system, the grate assembly and thedrip tray may have different configuration. Exemplary embodimentsdescribed provide for retrofitting of the common beverage dispensingsystems to make them RFID-enabled. Retrofit may include application ofthe RFID reader unit anywhere on a standard beverage dispensing system.Additionally, the beverage dispensing system may be coupled to a foodpreparation area such that a customer can order food items without theneed to approach a traditional cash register.

The systems illustrated herein can be readily implemented in hardwareand software using any known or later developed systems, structures,devices and software from the functional description provided herein.The system of the above embodiments can be implemented with a specialpurpose computer, peripheral integrated circuit elements, a programmedmicroprocessor or microcontroller, other integrated circuits, a digitalsignal processor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuits and thelike. As such, any device capable of implementing the flowchartillustrated herein can be used to implement the beverage dispensingsystem according to the embodiments described.

1. A dispensing control of a beverage dispensing system, comprising: aprocessor configured to receive information indicating actuation of aswitch that is associated with one particular dispensing port of aplurality of dispensing ports and is not associated with the otherdispensing ports of the plurality of dispensing ports; and a radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag reader, wherein the processordirects the RFID tag reader to obtain information from an antennaassociated with the particular dispensing port associated with theactivation of the switch.
 2. The dispensing control component as setforth in claim 1, wherein the processor and the RFID tag reader are partof a retrofit kit that is retroactively installed into the beveragedispensing system.
 3. The dispensing control component as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the processor is a central processing unit that isconfigured to receive the information indicating actuation of the switchfrom an input/output (IO) board, and wherein the central processing unitis configured for providing a calculated amount of dispensing time tothe IO board to instruct the IO board to allow dispensing from thedispensing port for the calculated amount of dispensing time.
 4. Thedispensing control component as set forth in claim 1, wherein theprocessor is part of an IO board, wherein the IO board is configured foractivating dispensing of beverage from the dispensing port, wherein theprocessor is configured to receive information indicating actuation of aswitch that is associated with an ice dispenser, wherein the IO board isconfigured for activating dispensing of ice for a predetermined timeperiod in response to actuation of the switch associated with the icedispenser.
 5. The dispensing control component as set forth in claim 1,wherein the RFID tag reader is configured for sending a radio frequency(RF) signal to the antenna to cause information to be written to an RFIDtag.
 6. The dispensing control component as set forth in claim 1,further comprising: a processor power supply for providing power to theprocessor; an RFID power supply for providing power to the RFID tagreader; and a multiplexer in communication with the RFID tag reader;wherein the switch is a dispensing button that is depressed.
 7. Adispensing control component of a beverage dispensing system,comprising: a plurality of antennas that are configured to receive asignal from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, wherein eachone of the antennas is associated with a particular and different one ofa plurality of dispensing ports; and a multiplexer configured to controlcommunication with the plurality of antennas, wherein the multiplexer isconfigured for sending signals to an RFID tag reader, and wherein aprocessor directs the RFID tag reader to obtain information from atleast one of said antennas.
 8. The dispensing control component as setforth in claim 7, further comprising an RFID tag reader configured forreading from and writing to the RFID tag, wherein the multiplexercontrols transmission and receipt of signals to and from the pluralityof antennas, wherein the multiplexer is integrated with the RFID tagreader.
 9. The dispensing control component as set forth in claim 7,wherein the plurality of antennas and the multiplexer are part of aretrofit kit that is retroactively installed into the beveragedispensing system.
 10. The dispensing control component as set forth inclaim 7, further comprising: a hood assembly having a touch screenmonitor and speakers; an IO board in communication with the speakers ofthe hood assembly, wherein the IO board controls actuation of thedispensing ports; said processor in communication with the IO board,wherein the processor instructs the IO board to allow actuation of aparticular dispensing port for a calculated amount of time; an RFID tagreader configured for reading from and writing to the RFID tag, whereinthe multiplexer controls transmission and receipt of signals to and fromthe plurality of antennas; and a user selectable switch for selectivelyenabling and disabling functioning of the RFID tag reader such that thebeverage dispensing system is capable of functioning with RFID tagreading and without RFID tag reading.